By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
archbrix on 21 October 2024
Edit Thread
Kyuu said:
archbrix said:

That is not a de facto rule at all.  You're forgetting the large number of people who would be interested in a game on the PS5, but will skip that game all together because it's on a platform they have no interest in.  In those cases, a version of said game on Switch would purely be added sales to the title's total and not taking away from a PS5 version whatsoever.

EDIT: An good example is RE4 on the GC/PS2.  Did the game being on PS2 take away from the GC version's sales?  Absolutely; especially because Capcom announced it shortly before the game released on GC.  But the game's sales were much greater overall thanks to also releasing on another console with a far bigger userbase.

I don't know how anyone can conclude that I'm forgetting this. The net sales of all versions combined would go up for sure (precisely because a segment of gamers will never buy it on anything but Switch) but by nowhere near the margins implied by the install base advantage. It's just not going to make a big difference for Japan against the world.

Switch's got a lot of late ports that ended up selling rather poorly considering its install base. The main reason is simple: "most" (not "ALL") people who were interested in the game got it on the other platforms before Switch became an option. Had those late ports launched on Switch simultaneously with the other versions, sales on Switch would have been higher, but at the cost of lower PS and maybe PC sales.

If RE4 launched on PS2 and GC simultaneously. GC sales (I bought two GC copies btw and one is still sealed lol) would have been a lot lower and PS2 sales higher for ultimately similar totals. But as far as 3rd party software sales (excluding Indies which are priced different and have their own little trends/patterns), Switch vs Playstation is NOT playing out like PS2 vs GameCube. Counting digital, a lot of multiplats sell fairly comparable numbers between Switch and Playstation in Japan. Perhaps over time, Nintendo's large playerbase will revitalize Japanese interest in some IP's. But as it stands, 3rd party sales are quite poor even on Switch, including multiplats that release day 1 on it.

Regarding that a Switch version of a game would not sell proportionally to its larger install base, I concede to that.  That wasn't the point I was making (sorry if my RE4 example mislead you).

What I was meaning to say was that companies cannot ignore the market leader anymore in Japan.  In  the past, companies have been able to roll with a PS3, PSP or PS4 version of a game that skips Nintendo's hardware completely without the threat of sales lacking too badly, simply because those systems were just more desirable to Japan for their time than the PS5.  Even the PS4 came along when it still meant something to own a dedicated home console in the face of Nintendo's handhelds.  But now that the Switch has given the region exactly what it wants all rolled into one, it makes the PS5 way less attractive.  And when the Switch 2 arrives, barring some major screw-up from Nintendo, PS5 will have nothing to offer that Japan cares about other than better graphics, which will lose to form factor big time.  Sony cannot win on price, its first-party IP's aren't popular there and the GTA6 effect won't save the PS5 in this region.  This is why I don't think that a Switch 2 version of a game will take away from a sale in the case of the PS5 - because, except for those who already own a PS5, few people will care to buy the game at all unless it's on a system they want in the first place.